Matthews appeared in two games with the Knicks following the seven-player deal conducted by Dallas and New York last Thursday, starting one and coming off the bench for the other. He totaled 14 points on 4-of-19 shooting across the two appearances.

Dennis Smith Jr. and DeAndre Jordan, the other two players who went from Dallas to New York in the Porzingis deal, remained with the Knicks past the deadline.

Matthews, 32, is on an expiring contract and figures to provide the Pacers the kind of 3-and-D presence most contenders covet. But his choice may come as a surprise to some, considering the other teams that were reportedly interested in his services.

The Knicks plan to keep DeAndre Jordan but intend to grant Wes Matthews a buyout once the trade deadline passes, league sources say. Matthews is at the top of the buyout brigade with expected interest from Indiana, Golden State, Houston and maybe more.

He joins a Pacers club that sits in fourth in the Eastern Conference standings entering Thursday, one game ahead of Philadelphia and 3.5 games back of second-place Toronto. The Sixers and Raptors were among the headliners of the trade season, making big moves to acquire Tobias Harris and Marc Gasol, respectively.

Indiana remains among the East's elite for now but lost All-Star guard Victor Oladipo to a ruptured quad tendon in late January. The Pacers are 6-4 in their last 10 games.